U.S. patent number 8,226,171 [Application Number 12/948,002] was granted by the patent office on 2012-07-24 for armrest.
Invention is credited to Tien Ching Fang.
United States Patent |
8,226,171 |
Fang |
July 24, 2012 |
Armrest
Abstract
An armrest includes an armrest base having a guiding groove. A
support is mounted below the armrest base. The support includes a
top end having a restraining plate. An engaging member includes a
body having an upper portion. A slider is formed on the upper
portion of the body. The slider includes two arms slideably
abutting two lateral walls of the guiding groove, allowing relative
sliding movement between the slider and the armrest base along the
guiding groove. The engaging plate further includes an insertion
plate located below the restraining plate. The engaging member can
be rotatably received in the compartment of the support. The top
end of the support can include an annular portion having a
plurality of annularly spaced teeth in the compartment. A groove is
formed between two adjacent teeth. A positioning member projects
downwardly from the engaging member and is selectively engaged in
one of the grooves.
Inventors: |
Fang; Tien Ching (Tainan
County, TW) |
Family
ID: |
46047115 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/948,002 |
Filed: |
November 17, 2010 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20120119557 A1 |
May 17, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/411.35;
297/411.37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
1/0308 (20180801); A47C 1/03 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
7/54 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;297/411.38,411.37,411.35,411.2 ;248/118 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nelson, Jr.; Milton
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rosenberg, Klein & Lee
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. An armrest comprising: an armrest base including a guiding
groove having two lateral walls; a support mounted below the
armrest base, with the support including a top end having a first
restraining plate, with the top end of the support including an
annular portion having a compartment, with the first restraining
plate formed on an inner periphery of the compartment; and an
engaging member including a body having an upper portion, with a
first slider formed on the upper portion of the body, with the
first slider including two arms slideably abutting the two lateral
walls of the guiding groove, allowing relative sliding movement
between the first slider and the armrest base along the guiding
groove, with the engaging member further including a first
insertion plate located below the first restraining plate, with the
engaging member rotatably received in the compartment of the
support, with the annular portion of the support including a
plurality of annularly spaced teeth in the compartment, with a
plurality of grooves having a groove formed between two adjacent
teeth, with the engaging member including a first positioning
member projecting downwardly therefrom, with the first positioning
member selectively engaged in one of the grooves.
2. The armrest as claimed in claim 1, with the armrest including a
rear end having an opening, with the opening in communication with
the guiding groove.
3. The armrest as claimed in claim 1, with the body further
including a second slider formed on the upper portion of the body
and spaced from the first slider, with a gap formed between the
first and second sliders, with the gap forming a thin portion in
the body, with the thin portion of the body having a thickness
allowing the body to flex, with the second slider including two
arms slideably abutting the lateral walls of the guiding groove,
allowing relative sliding movement between the second slider and
the armrest base along the guiding groove.
4. The armrest as claimed in claim 1, with the engaging member
rotatably received in the compartment of the support, with the
first insertion plate being arcuate and having a length larger than
the first restraining plate, with a stop projecting upward from
each of two ends of the first insertion plate, with the stops of
the first insertion plate limiting rotational movement of the first
insertion plate.
5. The armrest as claimed in claim 1, with the armrest base
including a bottom side having a plurality of rectilinearly spaced
engaging holes, with the engaging member including a second
positioning member selectively engaged in one of the plurality of
engaging holes while the engaging member is moving rectilinearly
relative to the support.
6. The armrest as claimed in claim 1, with the annular portion
further including a second restraining plate formed on the inner
periphery of the compartment and spaced from the first restraining
plate, with the engaging member including a second insertion plate,
with the second insertion plate located below the second
restraining plate, with the first and second insertion plates
inserted to positions below the first and second restraining plate
according to material resiliency and insertion angles.
7. The armrest as claimed in claim 6, with the engaging member
rotatably received in the compartment of the support, with the
second insertion plate being arcuate and having a length larger
than the second restraining plate, with a stop projecting upward
from each of two ends of the second insertion plate, with the stops
of the second insertion plate limiting rotational movement of the
second insertion plate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an armrest and, more particularly,
to an armrest for a chair.
To provide sitting comfort, a chair generally includes a seat, a
backrest, and two armrests respectively on two sides of the seat.
Each armrest generally includes an armrest base and an aesthetic or
soft a pad on top of the armrest base. A support is mounted below
the armrest base for connection with the seat or the backrest.
Conventionally, assemblage of the armrest base and the support
requires complicated structure. Taiwan Utility Model No. M384589
discloses a dual-shaft swivel type chair armrest. To allow
swiveling of the armrest, a complicated swivel mechanism is mounted
between the armrest base and the support. The structure can be more
complicated if additional functions, such as rectilinear adjustment
of relative position between the armrest base and the support, are
required. The assemblage is more complicated and time-consuming,
increasing the costs. More materials and resources are used, which
requires treatment of more wastes when the chair or armrest is
discarded after it has been used for a period of time.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An armrest according to the present invention includes an armrest
base having a guiding groove with two lateral walls. A support is
mounted below the armrest base. The support includes a top end
having a first restraining plate. An engaging member includes a
body having an upper portion. A first slider is formed on the upper
portion of the body. The first slider includes two arms slideably
abutting the two lateral walls of the guiding groove, allowing
relative sliding movement between the first slider and the armrest
base along the guiding groove. The engaging plate further includes
a first insertion plate located below the first restraining
plate.
Preferably, the top end of the support includes an annular portion
having a compartment, and the first restraining plate is formed on
an inner periphery of the compartment.
Preferably, the engaging member is rotatably received in the
compartment of the support. The annular portion of the support
includes a plurality of annularly spaced teeth in the compartment.
A groove is formed between two adjacent teeth. The engaging member
includes a first positioning member projecting downwardly
therefrom. The first positioning member is selectively engaged in
one of the grooves.
Preferably, the armrest base includes a bottom side having a
plurality of rectilinearly spaced engaging holes. The engaging
member includes a second engaging member selectively engaged in one
of the plurality of engaging holes while the engaging member is
moving rectilinearly relative to the support.
Preferably, the annular portion further includes a second
restraining plate formed on an inner periphery of the compartment
and spaced from the first restraining plate. The engaging member
includes a second insertion plate. The second insertion plate is
located below the second restraining plate. The first and second
insertion plates are inserted to positions below the first and
second restraining plate according to material resiliency and
insertion angles.
Preferably, the first insertion plate is arcuate and has a length
larger than the first restraining plate. A stop projects upward
from each of two ends of the first insertion plate. The stops of
the first insertion plate limit rotational movement of the first
insertion plate.
Preferably, the second insertion plate is arcuate and has a length
larger than the second restraining plate. A stop project upward
from each of two ends of the second insertion plate. The stops of
the second insertion plate limit rotational movement of the second
insertion plate.
Preferably, the armrest includes a rear end having an opening. The
opening is in communication with the guiding groove.
Preferably, the body further includes a second slider formed on the
upper portion of the body and spaced from the first slider. A gap
is formed between the first and second sliders. The gap forms a
thin portion in the body. The thin portion of the body has a
thickness allowing the body to flex. The second slider includes two
arms slideably abutting the lateral walls of the guiding groove,
allowing relative sliding movement between the second slider and
the armrest base along the guiding groove.
The armrest base and the support of the armrest according to the
present invention can be assembled with a simple mechanism,
avoiding complicated assemblage. Thus, labor, time, costs,
material, and resources are saved. The wastes to be treated are
lesser than conventional armrests when the armrest according to the
present invention is discarded.
The present invention will become clearer in light of the following
detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention
described in connection with the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an armrest according to the
present invention.
FIG. 2 shows an exploded, perspective view of the armrest of FIG.
1,
FIG. 3 shows a bottom, exploded, perspective view of the armrest of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 shows a partial, perspective view of the armrest of FIG. 1
with portions broken away.
FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view of the armrest of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an engaging member, illustrating
flexibility of a body of the engaging member.
FIG. 7 shows another perspective view of the engaging member of
FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an armrest according to the
present invention includes an armrest base 1, a support 2, and an
engaging member 3. The armrest base 1 includes a guiding groove 11
having two lateral walls 12. An opening 13 is formed in a rear end
of the armrest base 1 and in communication with the guiding groove
11. A pad 14 can be mounted on top of the armrest 1, allowing a
user to place his or her elbow on the pad 14.
The support 2 is mounted below the armrest 1. A first restraining
plate 211 is formed on a top end of the support 2. In the preferred
embodiment shown, the top end of the support 2 includes an annular
portion 20 having a compartment 201. The first restraining plate
211 is formed on an inner periphery 202 of the compartment 201,
providing the first restraining plate 211 with a firm position.
The engaging member 3 includes a body 31 having a first slider 35
formed on an upper portion of the body 31. The first slider 35
includes two arms 351 slideably abutting the lateral walls 12 of
the guiding groove 11. Thus, the first slider 35 can slide relative
to the armrest base 1 along the guiding groove 11. The engaging
member 3 further includes a first insertion plate 30 that can be
inserted to a position below the first restraining plate 211
according to the material resiliency and the insertion angle.
A second slider 36 can be formed on the upper portion of the body
31 and spaced from the first slider 35. Thus, a gap is formed
between the first and second sliders 35 and 36. The gap forms a
thin portion in the body 31. The thickness of the thin portion
allows the body 31 to flex (see FIG. 6). When the body 31 flexes,
the body 31 can be inserted to a position below the first
restraining plate 211. The second slider 36 includes two arms 361
slideably abutting the lateral walls 12 of the guiding groove 11,
allowing relative sliding movement between the second slider 36 and
the armrest base 1 along the guiding groove 11.
The first and second sliders 35 and 36 can be placed into the
guiding groove 11 via the opening 13, and the arms 351 and 361 of
the first and second sliders 35 and 36 abut the lateral walls
12.
With reference to FIG. 2, the annular portion 20 of the support 2
includes a plurality of annularly spaced teeth 204 in the
compartment 201. A groove 203 is formed between two adjacent teeth
204. The engaging member 3 includes a first positioning member 32
projecting downward therefrom. The first positioning member 32 is
selectively engaged in one of the grooves 203. Specifically, the
first positioning member 32 of engaging member 3 is rotatably
received in the compartment 201 and can be engaged with a desired
groove 203. Thus, the user can rotate the armrest base 1 relative
to the support 2 according to needs.
With reference to FIG. 3, the armrest base 1 includes a bottom side
having two rows of rectilinearly spaced engaging holes 15. The
engaging member 3 includes two second positioning members 33. Each
second positioning member 3 is received in one of the engaging
holes 15 in one of the two rows. Thus, the armrest 1 can be moved
relative the support 2 in a front/rear direction and positioned by
the second positioning members 3. However, the armrest base 1 can
include only one row of engaging holes 15, and the engaging member
3 can include only one second positioning member 33.
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a second restraining plate 221 can
be formed on the inner periphery of the compartment 201 of the
annular body 20 and spaced from the first restraining plate 211.
The engaging member 3 includes a second insertion plate 34. The
second insertion plate 34 can be inserted to a position below the
second restraining plate 221 according to the material resiliency
and the insertion angle. This arrangement provides firm assembly
and disposition of the engaging member 3 and the support 2.
Specifically, the body 31 can be inserted to a position below the
second restraining plate 221 when the body 31 flexes.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the first insertion plate 30 is
arcuate and has a length larger than the first restraining plate
211. A stop 301 (FIG. 7) projects upward from each of two ends of
the first insertion plate 30. The stops 301 limit rotational
movement of the first insertion plate 30 when the engaging member 3
is rotated.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the second insertion plate 34 is
arcuate and has a length larger than the second restraining plate
221. A stop 341 projects upward from each of two ends of the second
insertion plate 34. The stops 341 limit rotational movement of the
second insertion plate 34 when the engaging member 3 is
rotated.
The armrest base 1 and the support 2 of the armrest according to
the present invention can be assembled with a simple mechanism,
avoiding complicated assemblage. Thus, labor, time, costs,
material, and resources are saved. The wastes to be treated are
lesser than conventional armrests when the armrest according to the
present invention is discarded.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described,
numerous modifications and variations are still possible without
departing from the essence of the invention. The scope of the
invention is limited by the accompanying claims.
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